Tuesday, February 26, 2008

I finished this little stitchery this weekend, as a thank you surprise for someone, and mailed it off yesterday. I have no idea who the designer is. My local quilt shop used to have stitchery night once a month, and we would receive the design already traced on the fabric and the threads all ready to go. There were several times where I just picked up my kit, and did not attend stitchery night. I came across this one several weeks ago and decided to finish it up.

Lea of Simple Pleasuresrecently asked to see some of my quilting UFOs. This is probably the oldest one. This was one of my first quilting projects. The applique was not hard for me, as it is my favorite, although these pieces are sewn on by buttonhole stitch and my stitches are huge. But that is OK, it is primitive. I can't remember whose pattern it was. I think it was a Red Wagon but could not find the book. It is hand-quilted in the blocks with echo stitching. Then I got to the borders and stopped. I was going to put some holly leaves in the sashings and borders, but never got that far. I was looking for a good stencil. And it has sat on a quilt rack for probably 13 years. I plan to finish this. I will free-hand the leaves I have decided. My problem is I have always worked full-time or more and it takes me too long to hand quilt things. But I think this one is far enough along that I might be able to finish it up this year. I even have one more of the wreaths on a block that will be for a matching pillow already finished.

This is another of my UFOs. It was called Flourishes by Piece of Cake. I used to have a deal with my LQS on at least 3 block of the months. I made her a shop sample, and she would give me the patterns and fabrics to make mine. Well by the time I made hers, and 7 of these blocks I was tired of it, or she had given me another to make. So this is where this one is at. I think I have 5 more blocks to go and pieced borders. This will have to wait awhile.

Friday, February 22, 2008

This year, I am trying to finish up some of the many WISPs and UFOs I have around here.I started this project many years ago. I still love it, I just never got around to finishing it. It is raw edge applique with some embroidery, really simple and easy to work on while watching TV with DH.

I finished the holly block tonight.

Now all I have left is the center block, the Chinese lantern, and the sunflower.

There was an option of quilting each block separately, and then attach them together, and then do the embroidery around the edges of the blocks, or wait until all the blocks are finished. With the exception of this block, all my other finished blocks are already quilted too.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

I finished my February TIF piece, "I Remember Mommy". I also used the color scheme. This piece measures 8 x 10 and will eventually be framed.

My mother loved roosters and chickens, so I added some in the piece too. For some strange reason, after she died, I feel this compulsion to collect roosters and chickens and make a rooster and chicken quilts.

I thought of a few more things my mother told me:

Your sewing or embroidery should always look as good on the back as it does on the front.

When I was in 7th grade, I wanted to take choir class as one of my electives. My mother told me I could sing anytime, she wanted me to take home economics, which I ended up doing. When I was 15-17 I was making all my own clothing, plus some of my mother's and my sister's.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Since my first garden block got lost, for my N2G (New to Group) swap at CQI, (Crazy Quilting International), I needed to make another block.This time the cottage is a transfer of one I painted for my mother a long time ago. The original image is a watercolor, and I printed it up on silk fabric for this block.

I actually like this block a lot better than the one that is in never-never-land.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Several days ago, I received these gorgeous hand dyed threads from Susan of Crazy Quilting For Fun. Susan is making crazy quilt blocks, of various mothers, grandmothers, aunts. I asked her this week if she still had room, and I was able to send in my 2 grandmothers, my mother and aunt's picture. Susan is now selling beautiful hand-dyed threads on her Etsy shop and my order came earlier this week. She named the first threads after Pat's mother, Lois. These threads are beautiful, soft and I can't wait to use them. I even got a beautiful lace motif to use in my CQ.

Also Courtney of Momma's Goodies is having a giveaway for the 100th post.

1. I was born in Washington, D.C. and lived in Maryland until I was 13. It was fun going on school trips to the Washington monument, Jefferson Memorial, Smithsonian institute, the US Mint, and the 6th grade trip to Williamsburg, VA.

2. When I was 13, my dad drove us cross-country to visit my aunt in California, and my parents decided they liked CA. My dad left my mother, sister 2 brothers and I in a duplex, and went back to MD to sell our house, and move us to CA. We never returned to our home.

3. After I graduated from high school, I had the opportunity to visit Europe with a large church group and toured 7 countries in 21 days. Being typical teenagers, we were sort of skeptical about food we didn't know what it contained, and after not eating in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, we got to Italy hungry. I discovered spumoni ice cream in Rome, and had 7 cones in 1 day!

4. Before I was into quilting and crazy quilting, I did watercolors, made porcelain dolls, and learned carving.

5. In 1975, before John and I got married, we sailed his sailboat from San Diego to Catalina.I got the brilliant idea to sunbathe nude because we were out in the middle of the ocean. First night we stopped in Oceanside, and I was fried to a crisp!. Two days later when we got to Catalina, all I wanted to do was take a shower. We got off the boat and I discovered showers were $5 and I didn't want to pay that. This was around the time the first Jaws movie came out everyone at work teased me that Jaws was going to get me. We were moored in Avalon harbor, and John told me he would blow up the rubber raft and I could sit in that and splash myself with water and cool off. He told me he was going to take a nap. He slithered out the front hatch, down into the water, and came up under my raft and grabbed me. I thought Jaws had gotten me and screamed so the whole harbor could hear me!

6. John and I have taken many cruises, to the east Caribbean, west Caribbean, Alaska, 2 Mexican cruises, and one from Vancouver to San Diego. On one of the Mexican cruises, it happened to be a quilting cruise in which I met Judith Baker-Montano, and she invited me to come to Asilomar for her next class in the spring.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

As mentioned before, I am in an ongoing RR with a group of friends: Susan, Moira and Gail. This is the second go round for Moira's piece. Last time she sent us the three small pieces while she worked on the large section. When she got her 3 pieces back, she put them together and put the sashing and borders on. Moira did some silkribbon embroidery on the sashing at the top and said we could use the sashing this round too.

Last time I worked on the bottom section, as you are looking at iton the left. I did the majority of the stitching on it, including the yellow cast-on flowers. I think Fran did some beading on a flower in that section too.

This is such a lovely piece, it was a pleasure to work on it again. This time I worked on the spray, in the black sashing, starting at the bottom and extended it off in either direction. Candi joins us this round, and since we live a couple of blocks apart, I will be handing this off to her in the next couple of days.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

The first thing I remember is my mother. My mother was 18 when I was born, and she had been married 10 months, so she was a new bride, and a new mother and I was her first born.

I remember things my mother told me like:

If you don't have something nice to say about someone, don't say anything at all.

Always wear clean underwear, because what if you were in an accident?

You catch more flies w/honey than vinegar.

Don't cry over spilled milk.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

I can't remember her exact wording, but it was essentially something like there is no sense doing something if you don't do it right the first time.

I also remember that if you mother tells you not to wear your good locket to school you shouldn't(I didn't heed this advice and lost mine).

I had an interesting time making this block yesterday. I am trying to use just what is in my stash, and it was so dismal with these colors, I was contemplating using the concept and not the color scheme. But I was finally able to put a block together.

I also rediscovered something yesterday. I started out with a relatively clean sewing room. There seems to be a direct correlation with making a crazy quilt block and the shape my room gets in afterwards. I am going to have to pick up again in there today before I can do anything else. When I am making a CQ block, a crazy woman comes out and makes a huge mess!

I am also working on right now an RR Bloggersround robin, which I can't show, the final result, after an eventual 15 month tour is a surprise to the block owner.

I am also beginning work on a purse entry for the CQ International purse contest, which will have to be a secret until after that is over.

Last, but not least, my youngest daughter Katie will be getting married August 10, 2008, and we have made arrangements for the place, the luncheon I will be doing mostly doing myself. Katie wants to wear my old veil that I made in 1971. It had something called a "Juliet cap" which does not fit Katie right. So I am going to revise that veil. Will have to take a picture before I take it apart and shorten it. For that veil, I hand cut scallops from some of the lace I used in the dress and appliqued it to the veil. I was pretty impressed looking at it again after all these years of what I accomplished when I was 21 years old.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

I eagerly awaited Sharon announcing the concept and color palette for the February Take It Further Challenge! Sharon's chosen concept for this month is "What Are You Old Enough To Remember?"

This is the color scheme:

When I first read about this month's challenge, I started jotting down things I remember. I was born in 1950, and while we didn't watch THAT much TV, I started remembering the shows we watched. Howdy Doody Jack Benny I Love Lucy (especially the one where her and Ethel were on the chocolate making production line, and the wine crushing episode) Queen for a Day Superman Shirley Temple movies Margaret O'Brien movies Mighty Mouse Father Knows Best Leave it to Beaver Mickey Mouse Club Captain Kangaroo Our Gang Three Stooges My brother who was 3 years younger than I had to get his pick of shows too, so I watched a lot of: Sky King Sea Hunt Combat Roy Rogers I also remember the night President Kennedy was elected, I peeked out of my bedroom while the TV was on. I remember the night the Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan show, and the excitement in gym class the next day. I remember the Cuban missile crisis, and the tension surrounding those days. I remember the day that President Kennedy was shot and the announcement on the loud speaker in home economics class, and the shock and sadness afterwards. I remember standing in line 12 hours in Washington, DC to walk through the capital rotunda to view his casket, it was very cold and I remember snow on the ground. (We lived in Maryland at the time). I was going to do a little collage this month with a 50's TV, cut the center out and do a collage of these various shows. But the very first thing I remember is my mother. I was born when my mother was 18 years old. She had been married 10 months when I was born. I remember my mother singing to me "I love you a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck I do". I was about 3 years ago when I remember my mother and father running around the apartment. My mother was trying to get away from my dad, he was trying to tickle her, and she was very ticklish. My mom died almost 11 years ago, and I miss her still. So this month, my block is in remembrance of my mother, and I am going to use the color scheme also.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

I don't really have anything new to share this time. The company I work for asked if the past 2 days and today, I would put in the equivalent of 1/3 day overtime each of 3 days. By the time I get off work, I don't feel like doing much. As I stated in a previous post, I am working on Quilter's Blessings block of the month hosted by Bea at Capricorn Quilts. I finished January's block last week, and need to get February's ready to stitch.

I also thought I would share my Dear Jane quilt, which I completed in 2000, but took me about 7 years, working on it off and on to complete